Method and apparatus for coverage enhancement of msg3

ABSTRACT

Methods and apparatuses for coverage enhancement of Msg3. A method for operating a user equipment includes receiving a system information block (SIB) that provides information mapping physical random access channel (PRACH) resources to enable or disable repetitions for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission in a random access procedure and a first time domain resource allocation (TDRA) table. An entry of the first TDRA table indicates a number of repetitions of a PUSCH transmission. The method further includes determining a PRACH resource for transmission of a PRACH, determining, based on the PRACH resource, a TDRA table from between the first TDRA table or a predetermined second TDRA table. No entry of the second TDRA table indicates a number of repetitions for a PUSCH transmission. The method further includes receiving a first grant scheduling transmission of a first PUSCH and transmitting the first PUSCH.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION AND CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/302,492, filed on May 4, 2021, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C.§ 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/025,665 filed onMay 15, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/046,907 filedon Jul. 1, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/064,762filed on Aug. 12, 2020, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.63/112,020 filed on Nov. 10, 2020. The above-identified provisionalpatent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communicationsystems and, more specifically, the present disclosure relates tocoverage enhancement of Msg3.

BACKGROUND

5th generation (5G) or new radio (NR) mobile communications is recentlygathering increased momentum with all the worldwide technical activitieson the various candidate technologies from industry and academia. Thecandidate enablers for the 5G/NR mobile communications include massiveantenna technologies, from legacy cellular frequency bands up to highfrequencies, to provide beamforming gain and support increased capacity,new waveform (e.g., a new radio access technology (RAT)) to flexiblyaccommodate various services/applications with different requirements,new multiple access schemes to support massive connections, and so on.

SUMMARY

This disclosure relates to coverage enhancement of Msg3.

In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided. The UE includes atransceiver configured to receive a system information block (SIB) thatprovides information mapping physical random access channel (PRACH)resources to enable or disable repetitions for a physical uplink sharedchannel (PUSCH) transmission in a random access procedure and a firsttime domain resource allocation (TDRA) table. An entry of the first TDRAtable indicates a number of repetitions of a PUSCH transmission. The UEfurther includes a processor operably connected to a transceiver. Theprocessor is configured to determine a PRACH resource for transmissionof a PRACH and determine, based on the PRACH resource, a TDRA table frombetween first TDRA table or a predetermined second TDRA table. No entryof the second TDRA table indicates a number of repetitions for a PUSCHtransmission. The transceiver is further configured to receive a firstgrant scheduling transmission of a first PUSCH, where the first grantindicates an entry of the TDRA table, and transmit the first PUSCH.

In another embodiment, a base station (BS) is provided. The BS includesa transceiver configured to transmit a SIB that provides informationmapping PRACH resources to enable or disable repetitions for a PUSCHtransmission in a random access procedure and a first TDRA table. Anentry of the first TDRA table indicates a number of repetitions of aPUSCH transmission. The BS further includes a processor operablyconnected to a transceiver. The processor is configured to determine aPRACH resource for reception of a PRACH and determine, based on thePRACH resource, a TDRA table from between the first TDRA table or apredetermined second TDRA table. No entry of the second TDRA tableindicates a number of repetitions for a PUSCH transmission. Thetransceiver is further configured to transmit a first grant schedulingtransmission of a first PUSCH, where the first grant indicates an entryof the TDRA table, and receive the first PUSCH.

In yet another embodiment, a method is provided. The method includesreceiving a SIB that provides information mapping PRACH resources toenable or disable repetitions for a PUSCH transmission in a randomaccess procedure and a first TDRA table. An entry of the first TDRAtable indicates a number of repetitions of a PUSCH transmission. Themethod further includes determining a PRACH resource for transmission ofa PRACH, determining, based on the PRACH resource, a TDRA table frombetween the first TDRA table or a predetermined second TDRA table. Noentry of the second TDRA table indicates a number of repetitions for aPUSCH transmission. The method further includes receiving a first grantscheduling transmission of a first PUSCH, where the first grantindicates an entry of the TDRA table, and transmitting the first PUSCH.

Other technical features may be readily apparent to one skilled in theart from the following figures, descriptions, and claims.

Before undertaking the DETAILED DESCRIPTION below, it may beadvantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases usedthroughout this patent document. The term “couple” and its derivativesrefer to any direct or indirect communication between two or moreelements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with oneanother. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” as well asderivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication.The terms “include” and “comprise,” as well as derivatives thereof, meaninclusion without limitation. The term “or” is inclusive, meaningand/or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof,means to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, becontained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicablewith, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be boundto or with, have, have a property of, have a relationship to or with, orthe like. The term “controller” means any device, system or part thereofthat controls at least one operation. Such a controller may beimplemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and/orfirmware. The functionality associated with any particular controllermay be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. Thephrase “at least one of,” when used with a list of items, means thatdifferent combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used,and only one item in the list may be needed. For example, “at least oneof: A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, Aand B, A and C, B and C, and A and B and C.

Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented orsupported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed fromcomputer readable program code and embodied in a computer readablemedium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or morecomputer programs, software components, sets of instructions,procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or aportion thereof adapted for implementation in a suitable computerreadable program code. The phrase “computer readable program code”includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code,and executable code. The phrase “computer readable medium” includes anytype of medium capable of being accessed by a computer, such as readonly memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a hard disk drive, acompact disc (CD), a digital video disc (DVD), or any other type ofmemory. A “non-transitory” computer readable medium excludes wired,wireless, optical, or other communication links that transporttransitory electrical or other signals. A non-transitory computerreadable medium includes media where data can be permanently stored andmedia where data can be stored and later overwritten, such as arewritable optical disc or an erasable memory device.

Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughoutthis patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art shouldunderstand that in many if not most instances, such definitions apply toprior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and itsadvantages, reference is now made to the following description taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like referencenumerals represent like parts:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network according to embodimentsof the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example gNB according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example UE according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate example wireless transmit and receive pathsaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate example methods for determining a number ofrepetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method for transmitting Msg3 PUSCH with anumber of repetitions according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate example methods for identifying whether a UEsupports Msg3 PUSCH transmissions according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method for determining UL symbols fortransmission of PUSCH with repetitions according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates an example method for determining repetitions for aPUSCH transmission according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method for determining the number ofrepetitions for PUSCH transmission according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 13 illustrates an example method for transmitting PUSCHtransmission according to embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 14 illustrates an example timing diagram according to embodimentsof the present disclosure; and

FIG. 15 illustrates an example method for monitoring a downlink controlinformation (DCI) format scheduling a physical downlink shared channels(PDSCH) repletion according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1 through 15 , discussed below, and the various embodiments usedto describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patentdocument are by way of illustration only and should not be construed inany way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the artwill understand that the principles of the present disclosure may beimplemented in any suitably-arranged system or device.

The following documents are hereby incorporated by reference into thepresent disclosure as if fully set forth herein: 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.0.0,“NR; Physical channels and modulation,” 3GPP TS 38.212 v16.0.0, “NR;Multiplexing and channel coding,” 3GPP TS 38.213 v16.0.0, “NR; Physicallayer procedures for control,” 3GPP TS 38.214 v16.0.0, “NR; Physicallayer procedures for data,” 3GPP TS 38.321 v15.8.0, “NR; Medium AccessControl (MAC) Protocol Specification,” and 3GPP TS 38.331 v15.8.0, “NR;Radio Resource Control (RRC) Protocol Specification.”

To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased sincedeployment of the fourth generation (4G) communication systems, effortshave been made to develop and deploy an improved 5th generation (5G) orpre-5G/NR communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5Gcommunication system is also called a “beyond 4G network” or a “postlong term evolution (LTE) system.”

The 5G communication system is considered to be implemented in higherfrequency (mmWave) bands, e.g., 28 GHz or 60 GHz bands, so as toaccomplish higher data rates or in lower frequency bands, such as 6 GHz,to enable robust coverage and mobility support. To decrease propagationloss of the radio waves and increase the transmission distance, thebeamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), FullDimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, an analog beam forming, largescale antenna techniques are discussed in 5G communication systems.

In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system networkimprovement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud RadioAccess Networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D)communication, wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperativecommunication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-endinterference cancellation and the like.

The discussion of 5G systems and frequency bands associated therewith isfor reference as certain embodiments of the present disclosure may beimplemented in 5G systems. However, the present disclosure is notlimited to 5G systems or the frequency bands associated therewith, andembodiments of the present disclosure may be utilized in connection withany frequency band. For example, aspects of the present disclosure mayalso be applied to deployment of 5G communication systems, 6G or evenlater releases which may use terahertz (THz) bands.

FIGS. 1-3 below describe various embodiments implemented in wirelesscommunications systems and with the use of orthogonal frequency divisionmultiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access(OFDMA) communication techniques. The descriptions of FIGS. 1-3 are notmeant to imply physical or architectural limitations to the manner inwhich different embodiments may be implemented. Different embodiments ofthe present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably-arrangedcommunications system.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless network 100 according toembodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the wirelessnetwork 100 shown in FIG. 1 is for illustration only. Other embodimentsof the wireless network 100 could be used without departing from thescope of this disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the wireless network includes a gNB 101 (e.g., basestation, BS), a BS 102, and a gNB 103. The gNB 101 communicates with theBS 102 and the gNB 103. The gNB 101 also communicates with at least onenetwork 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP)network, or other data network.

The BS 102 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for afirst plurality of UEs within a coverage area 120 of the BS 102. Thefirst plurality of UEs includes a UE 111, which may be located in asmall business; a UE 112, which may be located in an enterprise (E); aUE 113, which may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); a UE 114, which maybe located in a first residence (R); a UE 115, which may be located in asecond residence (R); and a UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M),such as a cell phone, a wireless laptop, a wireless PDA, or the like.The gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for asecond plurality of UEs within a coverage area 125 of the gNB 103. Thesecond plurality of UEs includes the UE 115 and the UE 116. In someembodiments, one or more of the gNBs 101-103 may communicate with eachother and with the UEs 111-116 using 5G/NR, long term evolution (LTE),long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A), WiMAX, WiFi, or other wirelesscommunication techniques.

Depending on the network type, the term “base station” or “BS” can referto any component (or collection of components) configured to providewireless access to a network, such as transmit point (TP),transmit-receive point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB),a 5G/NR base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a WiFi accesspoint (AP), or other wirelessly enabled devices. Base stations mayprovide wireless access in accordance with one or more wirelesscommunication protocols, e.g., 5G/NR 3GPP NR, LTE, LTE-A, high speedpacket access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, etc. For the sake ofconvenience, the terms “BS” and “TRP” are used interchangeably in thispatent document to refer to network infrastructure components thatprovide wireless access to remote terminals. Also, depending on thenetwork type, the term “user equipment” or “UE” can refer to anycomponent such as “mobile station,” “subscriber station,” “remoteterminal,” “wireless terminal,” “receive point,” or “user device.” Forthe sake of convenience, the terms “user equipment” and “UE” are used inthis patent document to refer to remote wireless equipment thatwirelessly accesses a BS, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as amobile telephone or smartphone) or is normally considered a stationarydevice (such as a desktop computer or vending machine). For example, aUE could be a mobile telephone, a smartphone, a monitoring device, analarm device, a fleet management device, an asset tracking device, anautomobile, a desktop computer, an entertainment device, an infotainmentdevice, a vending machine, an electricity meter, a water meter, a gasmeter, a security device, a sensor device, an appliance, and the like.

Dotted lines show the approximate extents of the coverage areas 120 and125, which are shown as approximately circular for the purposes ofillustration and explanation only. It should be clearly understood thatthe coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as the coverage areas 120and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, dependingupon the configuration of the gNBs and variations in the radioenvironment associated with natural and man-made obstructions.

As described in more detail below, one or more of the UEs 111-116include circuitry, programing, or a combination thereof for receivingand/or transmitting Msg3. In certain embodiments, and one or more of thegNB s 101-103 includes circuitry, programing, or a combination thereoffor receiving and/or transmitting Msg3.

Although FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a wireless network, variouschanges may be made to FIG. 1 . For example, the wireless network couldinclude any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitablearrangement. Also, the gNB 101 could communicate directly with anynumber of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access tothe network 130. Similarly, each BS 102-103 could communicate directlywith the network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadbandaccess to the network 130. Further, the gNBs 101, 102, and/or 103 couldprovide access to other or additional external networks, such asexternal telephone networks or other types of data networks.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example BS 102 according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The embodiment of the BS 102 illustrated in FIG. 2is for illustration only, and the gNBs 101 and 103 of FIG. 1 could havethe same or similar configuration. However, gNBs come in a wide varietyof configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit the scope of thisdisclosure to any particular implementation of a gNB.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the BS 102 includes multiple antennas 205 a-205 n,multiple radio frequency (RF) transceivers 210 a-210 n, transmit (TX)processing circuitry 215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 220. TheBS 102 also includes a controller/processor 225, a memory 230, and abackhaul or network interface 235.

The RF transceivers 210 a-210 n receive, from the antennas 205 a-205 n,incoming RF signals, such as signals transmitted by UEs in the wirelessnetwork 100. The RF transceivers 210 a-210 n down-convert the incomingRF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or basebandsignals are sent to the RX processing circuitry 220, which generatesprocessed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and/or digitizing thebaseband or IF signals. The RX processing circuitry 220 transmits theprocessed baseband signals to the controller/processor 225 for furtherprocessing.

The TX processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital data (such asvoice data, web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from thecontroller/processor 225. The TX processing circuitry 215 encodes,multiplexes, and/or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generateprocessed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 210 a-210 nreceive the outgoing processed baseband or IF signals from the TXprocessing circuitry 215 and up-converts the baseband or IF signals toRF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 205 a-205 n.

The controller/processor 225 can include one or more processors or otherprocessing devices that control the overall operation of the BS 102. Forexample, the controller/processor 225 could control the reception offorward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signalsby the RF transceivers 210 a-210 n, the RX processing circuitry 220, andthe TX processing circuitry 215 in accordance with well-knownprinciples. The controller/processor 225 could support additionalfunctions as well, such as more advanced wireless communicationfunctions. For instance, the controller/processor 225 could support forreceiving and/or transmitting Msg3. Any of a wide variety of otherfunctions could be supported in the BS 102 by the controller/processor225. In some embodiments, the controller/processor 225 includes at leastone microprocessor or microcontroller.

The controller/processor 225 is also capable of executing programs andother processes resident in the memory 230, such as an OS. Thecontroller/processor 225 can move data into or out of the memory 230 asrequired by an executing process. For example, the controller/processor225 can move data into or out of the memory 230 according to a processthat is being executed.

The controller/processor 225 is also coupled to the backhaul or networkinterface 235. The backhaul or network interface 235 allows the BS 102to communicate with other devices or systems over a backhaul connectionor over a network. The network interface 235 could supportcommunications over any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). Forexample, when the BS 102 is implemented as part of a cellularcommunication system (such as one supporting 5G/NR, LTE, or LTE-A), thenetwork interface 235 could allow the BS 102 to communicate with othergNBs over a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the BS 102 isimplemented as an access point, the network interface 235 could allowthe BS 102 to communicate over a wired or wireless local area network orover a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as theInternet). The network interface 235 includes any suitable structuresupporting communications over a wired or wireless connection, such asan Ethernet or RF transceiver.

The memory 230 is coupled to the controller/processor 225. Part of thememory 230 could include a RAM, and another part of the memory 230 couldinclude a Flash memory or other ROM.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates one example of BS 102, various changes maybe made to FIG. 2 . For example, the BS 102 could include any number ofeach component shown in FIG. 2 . As a particular example, an accesspoint could include a number of network interfaces 235, and thecontroller/processor 225 could support routing functions to route databetween different network addresses. As another particular example,while shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry215 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 220, the BS 102could include multiple instances of each (such as one per RFtransceiver). Also, various components in FIG. 2 could be combined,further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be addedaccording to particular needs.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example UE 116 according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The embodiment of the UE 116 illustrated in FIG. 3is for illustration only, and the UEs 111-115 of FIG. 1 could have thesame or similar configuration. However, UEs come in a wide variety ofconfigurations, and FIG. 3 does not limit the scope of this disclosureto any particular implementation of a UE.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a RFtransceiver 310, TX processing circuitry 315, a microphone 320, andreceive (RX) processing circuitry 325. The UE 116 also includes aspeaker 330, a processor 340, an input/output (I/O) interface (IF) 345,an input device 350, a display 355, and a memory 360. The memory 360includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

The RF transceiver 310 receives, from the antenna 305, an incoming RFsignal transmitted by a gNB of the wireless network 100. The RFtransceiver 310 down-converts the incoming RF signal to generate anintermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or basebandsignal is sent to the RX processing circuitry 325 that generates aprocessed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and/or digitizing thebaseband or IF signal. The RX processing circuitry 325 transmits theprocessed baseband signal to the speaker 330 (such as for voice data) orto the processor 340 for further processing (such as for web browsingdata).

The TX processing circuitry 315 receives analog or digital voice datafrom the microphone 320 or other outgoing baseband data (such as webdata, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the processor 340.The TX processing circuitry 315 encodes, multiplexes, and/or digitizesthe outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IFsignal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the outgoing processed basebandor IF signal from the TX processing circuitry 315 and up-converts thebaseband or IF signal to an RF signal that is transmitted via theantenna 305.

The processor 340 can include one or more processors or other processingdevices and execute the OS 361 stored in the memory 360 in order tocontrol the overall operation of the UE 116. For example, the processor340 could control the reception of forward channel signals and thetransmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceiver 310, theRX processing circuitry 325, and the TX processing circuitry 315 inaccordance with well-known principles. In some embodiments, theprocessor 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

The processor 340 is also capable of executing other processes andprograms resident in the memory 360, such as processes for beammanagement. The processor 340 can move data into or out of the memory360 as required by an executing process. In some embodiments, theprocessor 340 is configured to execute the applications 362 based on theOS 361 or in response to signals received from gNBs or an operator. Theprocessor 340 is also coupled to the I/O interface 345, which providesthe UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices, such as laptopcomputers and handheld computers. The I/O interface 345 is thecommunication path between these accessories and the processor 340.

The processor 340 is also coupled to the input device 350. The operatorof the UE 116 can use the input device 350 to enter data into the UE116. The input device 350 can be a keyboard, touchscreen, mouse, trackball, voice input, or other device capable of acting as a user interfaceto allow a user in interact with the UE 116. For example, the inputdevice 350 can include voice recognition processing, thereby allowing auser to input a voice command. In another example, the input device 350can include a touch panel, a (digital) pen sensor, a key, or anultrasonic input device. The touch panel can recognize, for example, atouch input in at least one scheme, such as a capacitive scheme, apressure sensitive scheme, an infrared scheme, or an ultrasonic scheme.

The processor 340 is also coupled to the display 355. The display 355may be a liquid crystal display, light emitting diode display, or otherdisplay capable of rendering text and/or at least limited graphics, suchas from web sites.

The memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340. Part of the memory 360could include a random access memory (RAM), and another part of thememory 360 could include a Flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

Although FIG. 3 illustrates one example of UE 116, various changes maybe made to FIG. 3 . For example, various components in FIG. 3 could becombined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components couldbe added according to particular needs. As a particular example, theprocessor 340 could be divided into multiple processors, such as one ormore central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processingunits (GPUs). Also, while FIG. 3 illustrates the UE 116 configured as amobile telephone or smartphone, UEs could be configured to operate asother types of mobile or stationary devices.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate example wireless transmit and receive pathsaccording to this disclosure. In the following description, a transmitpath 400, of FIG. 4 , may be described as being implemented in a gNB(such as the BS 102), while a receive path 500, of FIG. 5 , may bedescribed as being implemented in a UE (such as a UE 116). However, itmay be understood that the receive path 500 can be implemented in a gNBand that the transmit path 400 can be implemented in a UE. In someembodiments, the receive path 500 is configured to support Msg3 asdescribed in embodiments of the present disclosure.

The transmit path 400 as illustrated in FIG. 4 includes a channel codingand modulation block 405, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 410, asize N inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 415, aparallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 420, an add cyclic prefix block 425,and an up-converter (UC) 430. The receive path 500 as illustrated inFIG. 5 includes a down-converter (DC) 555, a remove cyclic prefix block560, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 565, a size N fast Fouriertransform (FFT) block 570, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 575, anda channel decoding and demodulation block 580.

As illustrated in FIG. 4 , the channel coding and modulation block 405receives a set of information bits, applies coding (such as alow-density parity check (LDPC) coding), and modulates the input bits(such as with quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) or quadratureamplitude modulation (QAM)) to generate a sequence of frequency-domainmodulation symbols. The S-to-P block 410 converts (such asde-multiplexes) the serial modulated symbols to parallel data in orderto generate N parallel symbol streams, where N is the IFFT/FFT size usedin the BS 102 and the UE 116. The size N IFFT block 415 performs an IFFToperation on the N parallel symbol streams to generate time-domainoutput signals. The P-to-S block 420 converts (such as multiplexes) theparallel time-domain output symbols from the size N IFFT block 415 inorder to generate a serial time-domain signal. The add cyclic prefixblock 425 inserts a cyclic prefix to the time-domain signal. The UC 430modulates (such as up-converts) the output of the add cyclic prefixblock 425 to an RF frequency for transmission via a wireless channel.The signal may also be filtered at baseband before conversion to the RFfrequency.

A transmitted RF signal from the BS 102 arrives at the UE 116 afterpassing through the wireless channel, and reverse operations to those atthe BS 102 are performed at the UE 116.

As illustrated in FIG. 5 , the down-converter 555 down-converts thereceived signal to a baseband frequency, and the remove cyclic prefixblock 560 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domainbaseband signal. The S-to-P block 565 converts the time-domain basebandsignal to parallel time domain signals. The size N FFT block 570performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency-domainsignals. The P-to-S block 575 converts the parallel frequency-domainsignals to a sequence of modulated data symbols. The channel decodingand demodulation block 580 demodulates and decodes the modulated symbolsto recover the original input data stream.

Each of the gNBs 101-103 may implement a transmit path 400 asillustrated in FIG. 4 that is analogous to transmitting in the downlinkto UEs 111-116 and may implement a receive path 500 as illustrated inFIG. 5 that is analogous to receiving in the uplink from UEs 111-116.Similarly, each of UEs 111-116 may implement the transmit path 400 fortransmitting in the uplink to the gNBs 101-103 and may implement thereceive path 500 for receiving in the downlink from the gNBs 101-103.

Each of the components in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 can be implemented usinghardware or using a combination of hardware and software/firmware. As aparticular example, at least some of the components in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5may be implemented in software, while other components may beimplemented by configurable hardware or a mixture of software andconfigurable hardware. For instance, the FFT block 570 and the IFFTblock 515 may be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherethe value of size N may be modified according to the implementation.

Furthermore, although described as using FFT and IFFT, this is by way ofillustration only and may not be construed to limit the scope of thisdisclosure. Other types of transforms, such as discrete Fouriertransform (DFT) and inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) functions,can be used. It may be appreciated that the value of the variable N maybe any integer number (such as 1, 2, 3, 4, or the like) for DFT and IDFTfunctions, while the value of the variable N may be any integer numberthat is a power of two (such as 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, or the like) for FFT andIFFT functions.

Although FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 illustrate examples of wireless transmit andreceive paths, various changes may be made to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 . Forexample, various components in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 can be combined,further subdivided, or omitted and additional components can be addedaccording to particular needs. Also, FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are meant toillustrate examples of the types of transmit and receive paths that canbe used in a wireless network. Any other suitable architectures can beused to support wireless communications in a wireless network.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to transmitting Msg3physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) with repetitions. Embodiments ofthe present disclosure also relate to determining the number ofrepetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission for a UE operating in a CE modeor in a normal coverage mode. Embodiments of the present disclosurefurther relate to determining a redundancy version for each repetitionof a Msg3 PUSCH transmission. Additionally, embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to determining a time domain resource allocation for aMsg3 PUSCH transmission. Yet further embodiments of the presentdisclosure relate to determining a number of PUSCH repetitions definedby a number of symbols. Embodiments of the present disclosure alsorelate to a UE determining a timing for reception of a Msg4 physicaldownlink shared channels (PDSCH).

The variety of applications for 5G and beyond requires different targetvalues for different capabilities for networks and UEs (such as the UE116 of FIG. 1 ) such as peak data rate, capacity, latency, mobility,connection density, network energy efficiency, and so on. The main usagescenarios can be categorized as enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB),Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications (URLLC), and massive MachineType Communications (mMTC).

The eMBB scenario can be characterized by high data rates, high userdensity and wide-area coverage. The URLLC scenario can be characterizedby low latency, high reliability and high availability. The mMTCscenario can be characterized by high connection density, low powerconsumption and low complexity.

To satisfy the various applications and use cases, embodiments of thepresent disclosure take into consideration that UEs targeted fordifferent applications or use cases can have different characteristicsand correspond to different UE types. For example, UEs belonging to thebroad category of mMTC have requirements on latency/data rate/batterylife/connection density in order to support specific IoT (Internet ofThings) use cases in vertical industries. One type of UEs may havereduced capabilities respect to UEs for eMBB use cases. Such UEs withcertain characteristics in terms of bandwidth, number of Rx and/or Tx RFchains, power class, can support the required latency, data rate,battery life, density of UEs for a certain use cases or applications,and operate in a same network with other types of UEs, such as ones foreMBB and/or URLLC services. Examples of use cases include industrialwireless sensors (IWS), video surveillance, and wearables.

Given the diverse requirements associated with the diverse use cases, aUE type indicates certain characteristics/capabilities/features that canfulfill the requirements of one or more use cases. Such characteristicsinclude, but are not limited to, cost, complexity, capabilities such asbandwidth, number of Rx and/or Tx RF chain, power class, coverage class,and the like.

In this disclosure the terminology of ‘normal UE’ and ‘redcap UE’ areintended in a broad sense to indicate UE types with certain capabilitiesor configured with certain capabilities. The term ‘normal UE’ mayindicate R15/R16 UEs intended for eMBB applications. The term ‘redcapUE’ may indicate UEs that have reduced capabilities and/or areconfigured to use reduced capabilities compared to normal UEs. Thereduced capabilities are related but are not restricted to bandwidth,number of Rx and/or Tx RF chains, power classes, and the like.

For applications with less stringent requirements on latency and datarate, one way to improve coverage is by extending the transmission time:the physical signal or channel can be transmitted a number of times and,depending on the number of repetitions or retransmissions, the coveragecan be enhanced to a certain range. For UEs with reduced capabilitiesthe introduction of such type of coverage improvements compensates forthe reduced coverage due to, for example in downlink (DL), the reducednumber of UE receiver antennas or, in uplink (UL), due to a lowermaximum UE transmit power. For all types of UEs, in case a UE is inextreme coverage limiting situation, such mechanisms improve coveragewhile maintaining an efficient network operation.

For a LTE MTC scenario, two modes are introduced to enhance coverage. Afirst mode, denoted as coverage enhancement (CE) Mode A, supports up to32 subframe repetitions for a transmission of a PDSCH or of a PUSCH fora transport block (TB). CE Mode A is optimized for small or moderate CEthat can be achieved through a relatively small number of repetitions. Asecond mode, denoted as CE Mode B, supports up to 2048 subframerepetitions for a PDSCH or PUSCH transmission with a same TB. If a UEsupports CE mode B, the UE also supports CE mode A. For a PRACHtransmission, the CE operation is categorized into four levels whereeach level represents a different process for PRACH and paging. For eachCE Mode, there are two levels corresponding to different numbers ofrepetitions n, m or p, with n<m<p. In CE Mode A: Level 0 (no repetitionfor PRACH) and Level 1 (n repetitions). In CE Mode B: Level 2 (mrepetitions) and Level 3 (p repetitions). In the UE configuration, aradio resource control Information Element (IE) provides a configurationfor a list of PRACH transmission parameters for each coverage level. Thefirst entry in the list contains PRACH information of CE level 0, thesecond entry in the list contains PRACH information of CE level 1, andso on. The eNB determines the CE Mode, and the level within each Mode isdetermined by the UE. Up to three reference signal received power (RSRP)threshold values are signalled in a system information block (SIB) bythe gNB for a UE to determine a CE level for a PRACH transmission. Thenumber of configured RSRP thresholds is equal to the number ofconfigured CE levels minus one. For a UE that supports a different(smaller) power class than 23 dBm, a corresponding adjustment(reduction) needs to be done by the UE to the RSRP threshold valuessignalled by eNB.

A random access (RA) procedure can be initiated to fulfill severalpurposes including for example one of the following ones: establish RRCconnection (to go from RRC_IDLE to RRC_CONNECTED), re-establish RRCconnection after radio link failure (RLF), on-demand system information(SI) request, UL synchronization, scheduling request (SR), positioning,link recovery—also known as beam failure recovery (BFR). A physicalrandom access procedure can be is triggered upon request of a PRACHtransmission by higher layers at a UE or by a physical downlink controlchannel (PDCCH) order from a serving gNB. It is noted that, RA canoperate in two modes. The first RA operation mode is denoted ascontention-based random access (CBRA). In CBRA UEs within a serving cellcan share same RA resources and there is therefore a possibility ofcollision among RA attempts from different UEs. The second RA operationmode is denoted as contention-free random access (CFRA). In CFRA a UEhas dedicated RA resources that can be, for example, indicated by aserving gNB and may not be shared with other UEs so that RA collisionscan be avoided.

A random access procedure, also known as a Type-1 L1 random accessprocedure includes 4-step. In step-1 a UE transmits a Physical RandomAccess Channel (PRACH) preamble (Msg1). In step-2 a gNB transmits ofRandom Access Response (RAR) message with a PDCCH/PDSCH (Msg2). Instep-3 the UE transmits a contention resolution message and whenapplicable, the transmission of a PUSCH scheduled by a RAR UL grant(Msg3). In step-4 the gNB transmits a contention resolution message(Msg4).

According to embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of a 4-stepRA procedure (described above), a 2-step RA procedure can be used wherea UE can transmit both a PRACH preamble and a PUSCH (MsgA) prior toreception of a corresponding RAR (MsgB).

In certain embodiments, a UE, configured for operation in bandwidthparts (BWPs) of a serving cell, is configured by higher layers a set of(for example at most four) BWPs in a DL bandwidth for receptions by theUE (DL BWP set). The UE is also configured, by a set of (for example atmost four) BWPs in an UL bandwidth for transmissions by the UE (UL BWPset). At a given time, one of the configured BWPs is considered as theactive BWP where the UE receives (active DL BWP) or transmits (active ULBWP). The downlink carrier can be associated with two uplink carrierswhere a first uplink carrier is typically referred to as (primary)uplink carrier and a second uplink carrier is typically referred to assupplementary uplink (SUL) carrier. One UL carrier, the non-SUL carrieror primary carrier, is located in a frequency division duplexing (FDD)or time division duplexing (TDD) band as the associated/linked DLcarrier, and the SUL carrier is typically located in a lower frequencyband. The decoupling of uplink and downlink frequency bands enhancescell coverage, and the lower frequency carrier allows UEs at thecell-edge or in general UEs experiencing a large path loss to access thenetwork with the lower uplink carrier and improves coverage compared tousing the uplink carrier at the higher frequency band.

In certain embodiments, a UE that is capable of coverage enhancementsupport can access a cell in a coverage enhancement mode and can beconfigured in a coverage enhancement mode. Such UE is referred to as ‘CEUE’ or ‘UE in enhanced coverage.’ The CE UE can be a UE with a first setof capabilities, such as for a number of receiver antennas or foroperation over a first maximum bandwidth, or a UE with second, reduced,set of capabilities (RedCap UE) such as a smaller number of receiverantennas or for operation over a second maximum bandwidth that are bothsmaller that the respective first numbers.

In certain embodiments, a gNB can configure a UE to operate in one CEmode from a set of CE modes (e.g., CE-Mode1, CE-Mode2, . . . ) whereeach mode can be optimized to improve coverage in respective coverageconditions. The CE mode can be defined by a specific method to enhancecoverage. For example, the CE mode can be defined by a number ofrepetitions used for the transmission of physical channels and signals.In addition to transmission with repetitions, a CE mode of operation canbe associated with specific configurations for transmission of physicalchannels and formats. For example, a serving gNB can configure a firstUE with CE-Mode1 when the first UE requires a small coverage enhancementsuch as one corresponding to a signal to interference and noise ratio(SINR) gain 6 dB. A gNB can configure a second UE with CE-Mode2 or othermodes in case a large coverage enhancement is needed for the second UE.

A single CE mode can also be defined and in that case the UE can eitherbe configured in normal coverage or in a CE mode. A UE can further adaptuplink transmission to the coverage conditions by determining acorresponding CE level. A CE level can be associated with a number ofrepetitions of an uplink channel or signal.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for determination of thenumber of repetitions for Msg3 for a UE in CE mode. The followingexamples and embodiments describe determining the number of repetitionsfor Msg3 for a UE in CE mode. In certain embodiments, a gNB (such as theBS 102) can configure a UE to operate in a CE mode. For a Msg3 PUSCHtransmission, a CE mode is associated with one or more CE levels. For atotal of L CE levels and N CE modes, with L>=N, a UE can be configuredwith a CE mode and a CE level for the CE mode. In certain embodiments, aUE can be configured to operate either without CE (normal mode) or in aCE mode. For example, if a UE is configured in a CE mode, a serving gNBcan configure the UE with one or more RSRP thresholds (RSRP thresholdsfor CE level identification). The UE can then determine the CE levelbased on RSRP measurements and thresholds. In certain embodiments, eachCE level can be associated with a configuration for a PRACHtransmission. Each CE level can also be associated with one or moreparameters for the Msg3 PUSCH transmission such as a number ofrepetitions.

For a UE configured to operate in a CE mode, a number of repetitions fora Msg3 PUSCH transmission with a TB can be configured by higher layers.A field in the RRC IE RACH-ConfigCommon which is used to specify thecell specific random-access parameters can indicate the number of Msg3repetitions for each CE level. Alternatively, a field in the RRC IEpusch-ConfigCommon which is used to configure the cell specific PUSCHparameters can be used. The UE can determine the number of repetitionsfor a Msg3 PUSCH transmission with a TB from a configured value ofrepetitions for the CE level in which the UE operates such as for thePRACH transmission. A number of repetitions for a Msg3 PUSCHtransmission can be indicated by a field in the UL grant provided by theRAR message scheduling the Msg3 PUSCH transmission. For example, thefield can include two bits and indicate one of four repetition numberswhere the four repetition numbers are provided by higher layers. Thefour repetition numbers can be separately provided for each CE levelassociated with the corresponding PRACH transmission. It is alsopossible for a serving gNB to indicate a number of repetitions for aMsg3 PUSCH transmission by field in the downlink control information(DCI) format scheduling the PDSCH reception that provides the RARmessage associated with the Msg3 PUSCH transmission.

In certain embodiments if the number of repetitions for a Msg3transmission is indicated by higher layers and is also signaled eitherby a field in the DCI format scheduling the RAR PDSCH reception or inthe UL grant of the RAR message in the PDSCH reception, a UE that isconfigured for operation with CE uses the value that the UE determinedbased on the indication by the field.

It is noted that a field carrying the number of Msg3 PUSCH repetitionscannot be present both in the DCI format scheduling the RAR PDSCHreception and in the UL grant of the RAR message in the PDSCH reception.For example, a UE is not expected to be indicated the number ofrepetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission in the DCI format scheduling theRAR PDSCH reception and in the UL grant of the RAR message in the PDSCHreception. Similarly, a UE is not expected to receive the indication fora number of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission in the UL grant ofthe RAR message in the PDSCH reception when the UE receives theindication in the DCI format scheduling the RAR PDSCH reception. Forinstance, if a UE receives the indication of number of repetitions forMsg3 PUSCH transmission in the DCI format scheduling the RAR PDSCHreception, the UE discards the indication of Msg3 PUSCH repetitions inthe UL grant of the RAR message in the PDSCH reception if present.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate example methods 600 and 700, respectively, fordetermining a number of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmissionaccording to embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, thesteps of the methods 600 and 700 can be performed by any of the UEs111-116 of FIG. 1 , such as the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . The method 600 ofFIG. 6 and the method 700 of FIG. 7 are for illustration only and otherembodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 , in step 602, a gNB configures the UE with aCE level and with a number of repetitions for the Msg3 PUSCHtransmission by higher layers such as for example in an IERACH-ConfigCommon 510. For example, a UE (such as the UE 116) isconfigured by a gNB (such as the BS 102) with a CE level and a number ofrepetitions for the Msg3 PUSCH transmission.

In step 604, the UE determines whether the number of Msg3 repetitions ispresent in the DCI. If the number of repetitions is indicated in a fieldof the DCI format scheduling a PDSCH reception that provides acorresponding RAR message, then in step 606, the UE transmits Msg3 withthe number of repetitions that the UE determines from the indicationprovided by the field. For example, the UE can be provided with fournumbers of repetitions for a CE level the UE uses for the PRACHtransmission and a field of 2 bits can indicate one of the four numbers.Otherwise, in step 608, the UE transmits Msg3 with the configured numberof repetitions in RACH-ConfigCommon.

As illustrated in FIG. 7 , the method 700 describes a UE procedure fordetermining a number of repetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission. Instep 702, a gNB configures the UE with a CE level and with a number ofrepetitions for the Msg3 PUSCH transmission by higher layers such as forexample in pusch-ConfigCommon. For example, a UE (such as the UE 116) isconfigured by a gNB (such as the BS 102) with a CE level and a number ofrepetitions for the Msg3 in RRC.

In step 704, the UE determines whether the number of Msg3 repetitions ispresent in the PDSCH. If the number of repetitions is indicated in afield of the UL grant scheduling the Msg3 PUSCH transmission, then theUE in step 706 transmits Msg3 with the number of repetitions that the UEdetermines from the indication provided by the field. For example, theUE can be provided with four numbers or repetitions for a CE level theUE uses for the PRACH transmission and a field of 2 bits can indicateone of the four numbers. That is, in step 706, the UE can transmit Msg3with the number of repetitions determined by the UE from the filed inthe PDSCH. Otherwise, in step 708, the UE transmits Msg3 with theconfigured number of repetitions in pusch-ConfigCommon.

Although FIG. 6 illustrates the method 600 and FIG. 7 illustrates themethod 700, various changes may be made to FIGS. 6 and 7 . For example,while methods 600 and 700 are shown as a series of steps, various stepscould overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occurmultiple times. In another example, steps may be omitted or replaced byother steps. For example, steps of the method 600 can be executed in adifferent order. For another example, steps of the method 700 can beexecuted in a different order.

The following embodiments and examples describe a determination of Msg3repetitions related to the CE level corresponding to the PRACHtransmission.

In certain embodiments, for a UE configured for operation with CE, anumber of repetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission corresponding to aconfigured CE level can be configured. For PRACH transmission, the UEcan determine the PRACH resource configuration corresponding to aselected CE level l and transmit PRACH. If the PRACH transmission is notsuccessful (such as if a RAR is not received by the UE within theconfigured time window for RAR reception), then the UE initiates the RAprocedure again by (i) transmitting PRACH with the same configuration or(ii) determining the PRACH resource configuration corresponding to adifferent CE level, for example the next higher CE level l+1, andtransmitting such PRACH. In this case the number of repetitions for aMsg3 PUSCH transmission associated to the RAR transmitted by the gNB, ifsuch Msg3 PUSCH transmission exists, can be determined from the numberof Msg3 PUSCH repetitions corresponding to the same (in this example,l+1) CE level used by the PRACH transmission.

It is possible that the granularity of the CE levels associated with thePRACH transmission is different than the granularity of the CE levelsassociated to the repetitions of Msg3 PUSCH transmission. For example,four CE levels can be configured for PRACH transmission, and two levelsfor Msg3 PUSCH transmission, with CE levels 0 and 1 of PRACHtransmission associated to a first number of repetitions for Msg3, andwith CE levels 2 and 3 of PRACH transmission associated to a secondnumber of repetitions for Msg3. It is also possible that the number ofrepetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission is the same for all coveragelevels associated to the PRACH transmission.

In certain embodiments the number of Msg3 PUSCH repetitions is derivedfrom the configured number of PRACH repetitions. For example, when a gNBconfigures the UE with a number of PRACH repetitions, the number of Msg3repetitions can be assumed to be the same as the configured number ofPRACH repetitions or it can be derived from it. The number of Msg3repetitions can be a scaled value, for example ½ or ¼ or double, of thenumber of PRACH repetitions, wherein the number of PRACH repetitions canbe the number of times a same PRACH preamble or different PRACHpreambles is/are transmitted with a spatial setting, or the total numberof PRACH preamble transmissions over multiple spatial settings. Also,when a UE determines the number of PRACH repetitions based on RSRPmeasurements and threshold values indicated by a gNB, the UE can use asame number or a scaled number of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCHtransmissions. It is possible that the number of Msg3 PUSCH repetitionsis derived from the number of repetitions of PRACH preambletransmissions and the number of PRACH attempts. For example, a number ofMsg3 PUSCH repetitions can be increased as the number of PRACH attemptsincreases.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example method 800 for transmitting Msg3 PUSCHwith a number of repetitions according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. For example, the steps of the method 800 can be performed byany of the UEs 111-116 of FIG. 1 , such as the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . Themethod 800 of FIG. 8 is for illustration only and other embodiments canbe used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 8 , the method 800 describes an exemplaryprocedure for transmitting a Msg3 PUSCH with a number of repetitionsassociated to the same CE level of the corresponding PRACH transmission.Both PRACH transmission and Msg3 PUSCH transmission are associated to asame number of CE levels, for example 4 levels, with different number ofrepetitions for PRACH and for Msg3 PUSCH for each CE level.

In step 802, a gNB configures the UE for operation with CE, with amaximum number of PRACH transmission attempts and a number ofrepetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission. In step 804, the UE determinesa CE level l for transmitting PRACH, and transmits PRACH as configuredfor CE level l.

In step 806, the UE determines if the PRACH transmission was successful.If the PRACH transmission is successful and a Msg3 PUSCH transmissionexists, then in step 808, the Msg3 PUSCH is transmitted with a number ofrepetitions associated to CE level l. Alternatively, if the PRACHtransmission is not successful, the UE determines whether the number ofPRACH attempts is less than the maximum configured value in step 810.That is, if the PRACH transmission is not successful (as determined instep 806) and the number of PRACH attempts is less than the maximumconfigured value (as determined in step 810), then in step 812, the UEtransmits PRACH as configured for the next higher CE level.

The procedure continues repeating the previous steps until either thePRACH transmission is successful (as determined step 806), in which casea Msg3 PUSCH can be transmitted (step 808), or the PRACH transmission isunsuccessful (as determined step 806) and the maximum number of PRACHattempts is reached (as determined in step 810), in which case the RAprocedure is terminated in step 814.

Although FIG. 8 illustrates the method 800, various changes may be madeto FIG. 8 . For example, while method 800 of FIG. 8 is shown as a seriesof steps, various steps could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in adifferent order, or occur multiple times. In another example, steps maybe omitted or replaced by other steps. For example, steps of the method800 can be executed in a different order.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for determination of thenumber of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH for a UE not in CE mode. Thefollowing examples and embodiments describe determining the number ofrepetitions for Msg3 PUSCH for a UE, such as the UE 116, that is not inCE mode. In certain embodiments, a UE that is not configured for CEoperation can also transmit a Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions. A number ofrepetitions can be signaled by higher layers (for example, either by afield in the RRC IE RACH-ConfigCommon or in RRC IE pusch-ConfigCommon).The number of repetitions for a Msg3 transmission can additionally oralternatively be indicated by a field in a DCI format scheduling a PDSCHreception providing a RAR message corresponding to the Msg3 PUSCHtransmission, for example by indicating one number of repetitions from aset of numbers of repetitions provided by higher layers. The number ofrepetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission can additionally oralternatively be indicated by a field in the UL grant of the RAR messagescheduling the Msg3 PUSCH transmission. The number of repetitions for aMsg3 PUSCH transmission can alternatively be indicated by an entry in atime domain resource allocation (TDRA) table that, in addition to astart and length of a PUSCH transmission in a slot, it indicates anumber of repetitions for the PUSCH transmission. For Msg3 PUSCHtransmissions, the TDRA table can be provided by a SIB.

In certain embodiments, if the number of repetitions is both (i)configured by higher layers and (ii) signaled by a field either in theDCI format scheduling the PDSCH reception with the RAR message or in theUL grant of the RAR message, the UE transmits a Msg3 PUSCH with thenumber of repetitions indicated by the field. For example, the UE candetermine the number of repetitions for the Msg3 PUSCH transmissionfollowing a similar procedure as described above in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 ,with the difference being that the UE operates in normal, non-CE,coverage mode and is not associated to a CE level.

In certain embodiments, a field carrying the number of Msg3 PUSCHrepetition cannot be present both in the DCI format scheduling the RARPDSCH reception and in the UL grant of the RAR message in the PDSCHreception.

For example, a UE, such as the UE 116, is not expected to be indicatedthe number of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission in the DCI formatscheduling the RAR PDSCH reception and in the UL grant of the RARmessage in the PDSCH reception.

For another example, a UE, such as the UE 116, is not expected toreceive the indication of number of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCHtransmission in the UL grant of the RAR message in the PDSCH receptionwhen the UE receives the indication in the DCI format scheduling the RARPDSCH reception.

For yet another example, if a UE, such as the UE 116, receives theindication of number of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission in theDCI format scheduling the RAR PDSCH reception, the UE discards theindication of Msg3 PUSCH repetitions in the UL grant of the RAR messagein the PDSCH reception if present.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for determination of thenumber of repetitions for Msg3 when the random access procedure isinitiated by a PDCCH order. The following examples and embodimentsdescribe determining the number of repetitions for Msg3 when the randomaccess procedure is initiated by a PDCCH order. For example, a gNB, suchas the BS 102, can trigger a UE, such as the UE 116, to initiate arandom access procedure through a PDCCH order. The UE may or may not beconfigured for CE operation. A UE interprets that a DCI format 1_0 is aPDCCH order for a PRACH transmission if the cyclic redundancy check(CRC) is scrambled by cell radio network temporary identifier (C-RNTI)and a value of a “Frequency domain resource assignment” field is allones. Such a DCI format can also include a field to indicate a number ofrepetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission, for example “Msg3-repindicator” field of n bits. For example, the TDRA field can beinterpreted as providing a number of repetitions for the PRACHtransmission. The Msg3-rep indicator field can indicate one number ofrepetitions from a set of numbers of repetitions provided by higherlayers or can directly indicate the number of repetitions.

The Msg3-rep indicator field of n bits can use n bits of the “Reservedbits” field of such DCI format, such as for example the bits of the TDRAfield. For CBRA, where UEs within a serving cell can share same RAresources, the “Random Access Preamble index” field of the DCI format1_0 used to initiate the RA procedure is all zeros. In such case, the“synchronization signal/physical broadcast channel (SS/PBCH) index”field and the “PRACH Mask index” field of the DCI are reserved. It ispossible that the Msg3-rep indicator field uses n bits, with n<=4, ofthe PRACH Mask index field if the value of the Random Access Preambleindex field is all zeros, in which case the PRACH Mask index field isreserved. It is also possible that the Msg3-rep indicator field uses nbits, with n<=6, of the SS/PBCH index field if the value of the RandomAccess Preamble index field is all zeros, in which case the SS/PBCHindex field is reserved.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for transmission of Msg3with repetitions: redundancy version. The following examples andembodiments describe transmitting Msg3 with repetitions based on aredundancy version. In certain embodiments, if a UE, such as the UE 116,transmits a Msg3 PUSCH with N_(rep) repetitions, for the firsttransmission the UE transmits a transport block in a PUSCH scheduled bya RAR UL grant in a corresponding RAR message using redundancy versionnumber rv_(id) 0.

For all repetitions, the UE transmits the transport block in a PUSCHusing redundancy version number 0. Alternatively, for the n^(th)repetition, with n=1, . . . , N_(rep)−1, the UE transmits the transportblock in a PUSCH using different redundancy version number, for exampleaccording to the sequence {0,2,3,1} as illustrated in TABLE 1, below.Examples for other sequences include {2,3,1,0}, {3,1,0,2}, {1,0,2,3},{0,3,0,3}. The RV pattern can be provided by higher layers such as forexample a SIB. Alternatively, a pattern for RVs can be indicated from apredetermined set of patterns of RVs for repetitions, by a field in theDCI format scheduling the Msg3 PUSCH transmission with the number ofrepetitions.

TABLE 1 1. rv_(id) of the initial PUSCH 2. rv_(id) to be applied ton^(th) repetition transmission of 3. n mod 4. n mod 5. n mod 6. n modMsg3 4 = 0 4 = 1 4 = 2 4 = 3 7. 0 8. 0 9. 2 10. 3 11. 1

Alternatively, for all the repetitions within one PUSCH slot, the UE,such as the UE 116, transmits the transport block using the sameredundancy version number. Transmissions in consecutively allocatedslots can use a different redundancy version as shown in TABLE 2, below.Examples for other sequences/patterns include {2,3,1,0}, {3,1,0,2},{1,0,2,3}, {0,3,0,3}.

TABLE 2 12. rv_(id) of the initial PUSCH 13. rv_(id) to be applied toall repetitions within the n^(th) slot transmission of 14. n mod 15. nmod 16. n mod 17. n mod Msg3 4 = 0 4 = 1 4 = 2 4 = 3 18. 0 19. 0 20. 221. 3 22. 1

Whether the redundancy version number is fixed to rv_(id)=0 for allrepetitions or changes it can be indicated by higher layers or can beindicated by a field in a DCI format scheduling the Msg3 PUSCHtransmission.

In certain embodiments, one or more parameters in the RRC IERACH-ConfigCommon (or in RRC IE pusch-ConfigCommon) can provide therv_(id) for the Msg3 PUSCH transmission. For example, a UE, such as theUE 116, can be indicated whether the rv_(id) is always zero for allrepetitions of the Msg3 PUSCH transmission or whether the rv_(id)varies, such as, according to the TABLE 1 or TABLE 2, above. In certainembodiments, the UE can also be indicated whether: (i) the rv_(id)changes at each repetition (TABLE 1 is used); (ii) the rv_(id) is fixedfor repetitions in a same slot and changes for repetitions inconsecutive slots (TABLE 2 is used); or (iii) the rv_(id) changes pernumber of repetitions where the number of repetitions can be provided byhigher layers or be predetermined in the system operation. The UE can bealso indicated a default rv_(id) sequence.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for association of numberof Msg3 repetitions (or CE level) with PUSCH repetition type. Thefollowing examples and embodiments describe associating a number of Msg3repetitions (or CE level) with PUSCH repetition type. In certainembodiments, for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions that isscheduled by an UL grant in a RAR message, a number of consecutive PUSCHallocations within a slot and a number of consecutive slots allocatedfor the Msg3 transmission can be provided by higher layers. In case ofan allocation of multiple slots, a same start symbol and length forPUSCH repeats over the allocated slots. In each slot, one (PUSCHrepetition Type A) or more (PUSCH repetition Type B) Msg3 repetitionscan be transmitted.

In a first approach, for a UE transmitting Msg3 with repetitions, PUSCHtype B repetitions can be used in order to reduce a time required forthe Msg3 PUSCH transmission. Depending on the number of repetitions oron the CE level, a UE, such as the UE 116, can transmit Msg3 with PUSCHrepetition Type A or PUSCH repetition Type B. Whether to use repetitiontype B for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission can depend on whether performanceor latency is prioritized. For example, if there are two CE levels l=0,1, when the UE operates in CE level 0 the UE can transmit Msg3repetitions with PUSCH repetition Type A when the UE operates in CElevel 0 and transmit Msg3 repetitions with PUSCH repetition Type B whenthe UE operates in CE level 1. In another example, if there are four CElevels, l=0, 1, 2, 3, the UE can transmit Msg3 repetitions with PUSCHrepetition Type B when the UE operates in CE level 3, otherwise, the UEcan transmit MSg3 repetitions with PUSCH repetition Type A.

A gNB, such as the BS 102, can indicate whether PUSCH repetition Type Aor PUSCH repetition Type B is used through a SIB. Alternatively, if notall UEs can support a PUSCH repetition Type, such as PUSCH repetitionType B, PUSCH repetition Type A is used by default. It is also possiblefor a UE, such as the UE 116, to indicate a PUSCH repetition Type byselecting a PRACH preamble. For example, the gNB can indicate in a SIBthat a first set of PRACH preambles are associated with PUSCH repetitionType A and a second (remaining) set of PRACH preambles are associatedwith PUSCH repetition Type B. The UE transmits a Msg3 PUSCH with Type Aor with Type B repetitions depending on whether the UE selects a PRACHpreamble from the first set or from the second set of PRACH preambles.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for transmission of Msg3with repetitions: time domain resource allocation. The followingexamples and embodiments describe transmitting Msg3 with repetitions ina time domain resource allocation. In certain embodiments, a UE, such asthe UE 116, can determine a time domain resource allocation for a Msg3PUSCH transmission from higher layer parameters and from the TDRAtables. Table 6.1.2.1.1-1A and Table 6.1.2.1.1-1B in TS 38.214 v16.1.0define PUSCH time domain resource allocation configurations for a UE toapply.

The following descriptions apply to any PUSCH transmission, not only toMsg3 PUSCH transmission. In certain embodiments, a number of Msg3repetitions (or CE level) are associated with K2. For example, a CElevel, or equivalently a number of repetitions for a Msg3 PUSCHtransmission, can be associated with K2 which is used to derive a slotoffset from the slot where PDCCH providing the DCI format scheduling theMsg3 PUSCH transmission is received. A UE operating with a large CElevel (several repetitions for Msg3) is assumed to be more delaytolerant, and higher coverage levels can be associated with largervalues of K2. For instance, if there are two CE levels, the associationcan be as in Table 3. Level 0 can correspond to the lowest CE level orto UE operating without CE. This can apply to both normal CP andextended CP.

In certain embodiments, a number of Msg3 repetitions (or CE level) areassociated with K2 and S. For example, a CE level, or equivalently anumber of repetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission, can be associatedto K2 and S. S is a first symbol in a slot in which the UE transmits theMsg3 PUSCH. For instance, if there are two CE levels, the associationcan be as in Table 4. The lowest CE level is associated with the smallerK2 and S values. Level 0 can correspond to the lowest CE level or to aUE operating in normal mode (no CE). This can apply to both normal CPand extended CP.

In certain embodiments, a number of Msg3 repetitions (or CE level) areassociated with S. For example, a CE level, or equivalently a number ofrepetitions for a Msg3 PUSCH transmission, can be associated to S. S isa first symbol in a slot in which the UE transmits the Msg3 PUSCH. Forinstance, if there are four CE levels, the association can be as inTable 5. The lowest CE level is associated with the smaller S value.Level 0 can correspond to the lowest CE level or to a UE operating innormal mode (no CE). This can apply to both normal CP and extended CP.

In certain embodiments, a number of Msg3 repetitions are associated witha time domain resource allocation configuration. For example, a numberof TDRA tables can be defined, each corresponding to a CE level. EachTDRA table defines which PUSCH time domain resource allocationconfiguration to apply when a UE operates in a CE level. The indicationof which TDRA table to use can be indicated in a field in the IEPUSCH-ConfigCommon which is used to configure the cell specific PUSCHparameters. For instance, as illustrated below, aMsg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocationTable field can indicate a TDRA table.The value of this field can correspond to the configured CE level.Further, an indication of a CE level can be dynamic through anindication of a TDRA table from a configured set of TDRA tables. Forinstance, a field in a DCI format (UL grant) scheduling a PUSCHtransmission can indicate a TDRA table from a set of 2 or 4 TDRA tables.The field can be part of the TDRA field or can be a separate field. Inthe former case, the TDRA field indicates a subset of entries of a TDRAtable where the subset of entries can be predetermined. For instance,when 1 bit of the TDRA field is used to indicate one of two TDRA tables,the remaining bits of the TDRA field can be used to indicate every otherentry (one entry every two consecutive entries) from the TDRA table.

In certain embodiments, a UE that is not configured for CE operation canalso transmit a Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions. A Msg3 PUSCH transmissionwith repetitions can be associated with a PUSCH mapping type and a TDRAtable. One or more TDRA tables can be defined with each TDRA tabledefining which PUSCH time domain resource allocation configuration toapply for Msg3 PUSCH transmission. The indication of which TDRA table touse can be indicated in a field in the IE PUSCH-ConfigCommon which isused to configure the cell specific PUSCH parameters or by a field inthe DCI format (UL grant) scheduling the PUSCH transmission. Forexample, as illustrated below, a fieldMsg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocationTable can indicate a TDRA table. Forexample, as illustrated in Syntax (1) below, a fieldMsg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocation can indicate a combination of PUSCHmapping type, slot offset, start symbol and length from the TDRA table.In addition, or alternatively, similar fields can be added in the IEPUSCH-ConfigCommon for PUSCH repetitions as indicated below.

      Syntax (1) -- ASN1START -- TAG-PUSCH-CONFIGCOMMON-STARTPUSCH-ConfigCommon ::=  SEQUENCE {  groupHoppingEnabledTransformPrecoding  ENUMERATED {enabled}   OPTIONAL, -- Need R  pusch-TimeDomainAllocationList    PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList   OPTIONAL, -- Need R   msg3-DeltaPreamble INTEGER (−1..6) OPTIONAL, --Need R   p0-NominalWithGrant INTEGER (−202..24) OPTIONAL, -- Need RMsg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocationTableINTEGER (1..maxNrofUL-    AllocationTables)OPTIONAL, -- Need R   Msg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocation     INTEGER(1..maxNrofUL-Allocations)      OPTIONAL, -- Need R   PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocationTable     INTEGER (1..maxNrofUL-     AllocationTables)   OPTIONAL, -- Need R   PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocation        INTEGER (1..maxNrofUL-Allocations)      OPTIONAL, -- Need R ... } -- TAG-PUSCH-CONFIGCOMMON-STOP --ASN1STOP

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for identification of UEssupporting transmission of Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions. The followingexamples and embodiments describe identifying UEs supportingtransmission of Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions. In certain embodiments, theidentification can use PRACH resources. For example, a gNB, such as theBS 102, can identify whether a UE, such as the UE 116, supportstransmissions of Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions from the PRACH resourcesused by the UE to initiate a RA procedure. The gNB can indicate in asystem information block (SIB) a partitioning/mapping of the PRACHresources, wherein the partitioning/mapping is associated with PRACHpreambles, or with PRACH occasions, or with both PRACH preambles andROs, and wherein resources from a partition are selected by UEssupporting Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions and resources fromanother partition are selected by UEs not supporting Msg3 PUSCHtransmission with repetitions.

A partitioning of PRACH resources can be associated with multiplefeatures supported by the UE. For example, PRACH resources in apartition can be used by UEs that support Msg3 PUSCH transmission withrepetitions and support transmission of PRACH preambles over multiplespatial settings, wherein same or different preambles are transmitted bycycling over a number of spatial settings. In another example apartition of PRACH resources can be used by UEs that support Msg3 PUSCHtransmission with repetitions and support transmission of a channelquality report in Msg3 PUSCH, wherein the channel quality report isbased on a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS)transmission and/or on synchronization signal physical broadcast channel(SSB) transmissions by a gNB. In another example a partition of PRACHresources is associated with the transmission of PRACH preambles with afirst number of repetitions and with Msg3 PUSCH transmission with asecond number of repetitions.

In certain embodiments, the identification can use UL BWP.Identification of UEs supporting Msg3 with repetitions by a gNB, such asthe BS 102, can be based on UL bandwidth. A gNB can configure differentUL BWPs wherein one or more BWPs are associated with Msg3 PUSCHtransmission without repetitions and one or more BWPs are associatedwith Msg3 PUSCH transmission without repetitions. The different BWPs canalso be associated with PRACH transmission with or without repetitions.A gNB can configure in a SIB different UL BWPs corresponding todifferent numbers of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission and forPRACH repetitions. A UE can select an UL BWP for initial accessdepending on whether the UE supports repetitions of Msg3 PUSCH or not.When a UE supports transmission of Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions andmultiple BWPs are available, the UE can select a BWP based on RSRPmeasurements. In the selected BWP, the UE transmits PRACH preambles, andupon reception of a RAR, Msg3 PUSCH.

Different BWPs can also be associated with different CE levels whereeach coverage level corresponds to a number of repetitions for Msg3PUSCH transmission and to a number of PRACH preamble repetitions. Thenumber of Msg3 repetitions and the number of PRACH repetitions can bedifferent for different UL BWPs (and corresponding CE levels) or can bethe same for some of the BWPs.

In certain embodiments, a gNB, such as the BS 102, can also configuredifferent narrow bandwidths (NBs) of a BWP where a NB can be associatedwith the transmission of Msg3 and PRACH either with repetitions or withno repetitions. For example, a gNB can configure an UL BWP associatedwith Msg3 PUSCH transmission with no repetitions and configure anotherUL BWP associated with Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions, whereinthe UL BWP comprises a number of NBs. The number of repetitions for Msg3PUSCH and/or PRACH preamble transmissions associated with the differentNBs of a BWP can be same or different. A UE, such as the UE 116, thatsupports Msg3 transmission with repetitions would choose one of the NBsfor UL transmission based on RSRP measurements.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate example methods 900 and 950, respectively,for identifying whether a UE supports Msg3 PUSCH transmissions accordingto embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the steps of themethods 900 and 950 can be performed by any of the UEs 111-116 of FIG. 1, such as the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . The methods 900 and 950 are forillustration only and other embodiments can be used without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 9A, the method 900 describes identifying, by agNB, whether a UE supports Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions isbased on the UL BWP (or NB) used for PRACH transmission. Based on whatthe UE selects, the gNB can identify whether a UE supports Msg3 PUSCHtransmission with repetitions.

In step 902, a UE is indicated different UL BWPs in a SIB transmitted inan initial DL BWP, wherein the different UL BWPs are associated with thetransmission of Msg3 PUSCH. For example, UE receives different UL BWPsin a SIB from an DL BWP.

In step 904, the UE determines whether Msg3 PUSCH repetitions aresupported. If the UE does not support Msg3 PUSCH transmission withrepetitions (as determined in step 904), then in step 906, the UEselects an UL BWP associated with Msg3 PUSCH transmission withoutrepetitions. Alternatively, if the UE supports Msg3 PUSCH transmissionwith repetitions, then in step 908, the UE determines a path loss fromRSRP measurements and selects an UL BWP among the indicated UL BWPsassociated with Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions. Then in step910, the UE transmits PRACH preambles, and Msg3 PUSCH after receiving aRAR, in the selected BWP.

In another example for TDD systems, in addition to the indication ofdifferent UL BWPs that is transmitted in an initial DL BWP withCORESET0, the gNB, such as the BS 102, also indicates another DL BWPwith another CORESET0 associated with an UL BWP. For example, a gNB canindicate in a SIB transmitted in an initial DL BWP (i) an UL BWP (ULBWP-1) associated with Msg3 with repetitions and paired with the initialDL BWP, (ii) an UL BWP (UL BWP-2) associated with Msg3 with norepetitions, and (iii) a DL BWP with another CORESET0 paired with the ULBWP-2. Additionally, an UL BWP can be associated with transmission ofPRACH repetitions, and/or with transmission in different number ofspatial settings. A UE that supports Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions wouldselect UL BWP-1 and transmit a PRACH preamble in BWP-1. A UE can selectan UL BWP for initial access depending on (i) whether the UE supportsrepetitions of Msg3, (ii) whether the UE supports transmission of PRACHpreambles over different spatial settings, (iii) an RSRP measurementthat determines the number of repetitions of a Msg3 and/or (iv) a PRACHpreamble.

As illustrated in FIG. 9B, the method 950 describes an example whereidentification by a gNB of whether a UE supports Msg3 PUSCH transmissionwith repetitions is based on an UL BWP (or NB) used for PRACHtransmission, wherein the UL BWP and paired DL BWP are indicated in aSIB.

In step 952 a UE is indicated one or more UL BWPs and paired DL BWPs ina SIB transmitted in an initial DL BWP, wherein at least one UL BWP isassociated with Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions. For example,the UE receives one or more UL BWPs and paired DL BWPs in a SIBtransmitted in an initial DL BWP. In step 954, the UE selects an UL BWPassociated with Msg3 PUSCH transmission with repetitions. The UL BWP isselected based on an RSRP measurement if more than one UL BWP isassociated with Msg3 repetitions. In step 956, the UE transmits a PRACHpreamble in the selected UL BWP. In step 958, the UE receives a RAR inthe DL BWP paired with the selected UL BWP where PRACH is transmitted.In step 960, the UE transmits Msg3 PUSCH with repetitions in theselected UL BWP upon reception of a RAR.

Although FIG. 9A illustrates the method 900 and FIG. 9B illustrates themethod 950, various changes may be made to FIGS. 9A and 9B. For example,while methods 900 and 950 are shown as a series of steps, various stepscould overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a different order, or occurmultiple times. In another example, steps may be omitted or replaced byother steps. For example, steps of the method 900 can be executed in adifferent order. For another example, steps of the method 950 can beexecuted in a different order.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for retransmissions ofMsg3 PUSCH. The following examples and embodiments describeretransmissions of Msg3 PUSCH. In certain embodiments, after a UEtransmits a Msg3 PUSCH, if a gNB does not successfully receive Msg3PUSCH, the UE can receive a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by the TC-RNTI(or C-RNTI) requesting a retransmission of Msg3. A retransmission ofMsg3 PUSCH can use a same or different number of repetitions used in aninitial transmission. The UE can transmit Msg3 with a number ofrepetitions derived from the number of repetitions of the initialtransmission. For example, in each retransmission a UE can use anincreased number of repetitions, or all retransmissions use the samenumber of repetitions. The number of repetitions to use in Msg3retransmissions can be configured in SIB and be part of the Msg3configuration in pusch-ConfigCommon. It can also be used the same numberof repetitions for PRACH preambles configured in RACH-ConfigCommon. Incertain embodiments, the UE determines the number of repetitions for aMsg3 retransmission from the DCI format scheduling the Msg3 PUSCHretransmission. A UE can also determine the number of repetitions to usefor a Msg3 PUSCH retransmission based on RSRP measurements andconfigured threshold(s). A Msg3 PUSCH retransmission can be transmittedwith no repetitions, or with a number of repetitions same as orsmaller/larger than a number of repetitions in a previous(re-)transmission depending on whether an RSRP estimate is same as, orabove or below a threshold. In certain embodiments, a gNB configures theuse of repetitions for Msg3 PUSCH transmission only for the initialtransmission, and retransmissions of Msg3 PUSCH are without repetitions,or vice versa (repetitions are used only in retransmissions).

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for a number ofrepetitions defined by a number of symbols and determination of ULsymbols for transmission of PUSCH with repetitions. The followingexamples and embodiments describe determining UL symbols fortransmission of PUSCH with repetitions where the number of repetitionsare defined by a number of symbols. A CE level, or equivalently a numberof repetitions, for a PUSCH transmission such as a Msg3 PUSCHtransmission can be defined by a number of slots or by a number ofsymbols.

In certain embodiments, using a number of symbolsN_(PUSCH)=L·N_(nominal) to determine a length of a PUSCH transmissionwith Type-B repetitions and having N_(nominal) repetitions can bebeneficial in scenarios where all symbols used for the PUSCHtransmission are not known in advance by a scheduling gNB. For example,when the gNB, such as the BS 102, adapts the slot structure after thescheduling of the PUSCH transmission, flexible slot symbols that areindicated by an UL-DL TDD configuration provided by higher layers may beindicated to be DL symbols or flexible (reserved) symbols by a DCIformat provided in a PDCCH transmission by the gNB.

For instance, a UE, such as the UE 116, can be scheduled to transmit aPUSCH with N_(nominal)=4 nominal repetitions over 4 corresponding slotswith S=4 and L=11. The 4 slots can be the first 4 slots, starting fromthe slot indicated by K₂, where symbols 4 through 14 are flexible or UL.

If the gNB, such as the BS 102, subsequently indicates by a DCI formatsome of the flexible symbols to be DL symbols or flexible symbols, anactual repetition of the PUSCH transmission in a corresponding slot canavoid those symbols. However, if the repetitions of the PUSCHtransmission are limited to 4 slots, the total number of symbols usedfor the PUSCH transmission will be smaller than N_(PUSCH) and, as aconsequence, a reception reliability for a transport block in the PUSCHtransmission is reduced. The gNB can account for a potential reductionin a number of symbols for the PUSCH repetitions over 4 slots byindicating more than 4 slots for repetitions. However, that may alsoresult to unnecessary repetitions and increased resource overhead incases when the gNB does not indicate flexible symbols of an UL-DL TDDconfiguration provided by higher layers to be DL symbols or flexiblesymbols. Therefore, a UE configured for repetitions of a PUSCHtransmission can also monitor PDCCH for detection of a DCI formatindicating a slot structure, such as a DCI format 2_0, and avoidtransmission in symbols that are indicated as DL. The UE may also avoidtransmission in symbols indicated as flexible by the DCI format as suchsymbols can be considered to be reserved in the system operation and theUE may also avoid transmission in one or more symbols after a last DLsymbol in order to allow a required time to perform DL-to-UL switchingat least when the UE needs to receive, for example a CSI-RS, during thelast DL symbol.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example method 1000 for determining uplink (UL)symbols for transmission of PUSCH with repetitions according toembodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the steps of themethod 1000 can be performed by any of the UEs 111-116 of FIG. 1 , suchas the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . The method 1000 of FIG. 10 is for illustrationonly and other embodiments can be used without departing from the scopeof the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the method 1000 describes a procedure for aUE, such as the UE 116, to determine UL symbols for transmission ofPUSCH with repetitions.

In step 1002, a UE receives or is provided with an UL-DL TDDconfiguration over a number of slots. Here, a slot includes flexiblesymbols, for example by the parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon, oradditionally by the parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated.

In step 1004, the UE is configured for transmission of a PUSCH withrepetitions and is scheduled by a DCI format to transmit the PUSCH overmultiple slots.

In step 1006, the UE monitors a DCI format 2_0 that provides anadaptation to the flexible symbols. For example, a slot format indicator(SFI) index field value in a DCI format 2_0 indicates to the UE a slotformat for each slot in a number of slots starting from a slot where theUE detects the DCI format 2_0. The DCI format 2_0 adapts a flexiblesymbol of the UL-DL TDD configuration in a slot to either downlink, oruplink, or unavailable.

In step 1008, the UE transmits PUSCH with repetitions avoiding symbolsindicated as flexible or DL 840 by the SFI-index field value in the DCIformat 2_0.

The UE behavior can be further conditioned based on whether the UEtransmits the PUSCH with repetitions. When the UE does not transmit thePUSCH with repetitions, the UE does not avoid symbols indicated asflexible or DL for the PUSCH transmission; otherwise, and at least forrepetitions after the first repetition, the UE transmit the PUSCH withrepetitions avoiding symbols indicated as flexible or DL by theSFI-index field value.

Although FIG. 10 illustrates the method 1000, various changes may bemade to FIG. 10 . For example, while method 1000 of FIG. 10 is shown asa series of steps, various steps could overlap, occur in parallel, occurin a different order, or occur multiple times. In another example, stepsmay be omitted or replaced by other steps. For example, steps of themethod 1000 can be executed in a different order.

Determination of a number of slots for transmission of PUSCH withrepetitions. The following examples and embodiments describe determininga number of slots for transmission of PUSCH with repetitions. For suchoperating conditions, determining a number of slots for repetitions of aPUSCH transmission based on N_(PUSCH) can enable full flexibility to agNB (such as the BS 102) to indicate flexible symbols of an UL-DL TDDconfiguration. The configuration can be provided by higher layers to beflexible (reserved) symbols or DL symbols while ensuring a desiredreception reliability of a transport block in the PUSCH transmissionwithout additional resource overhead. For example, when symbols eightthrough ten of the four slots in the above example are indicated asflexible or DL by the DCI format, the actual repetitions of the PUSCHtransmission can be in symbols three through seven and 11 through 14 (orsymbol three and symbol 11 can be additionally avoided to allow forDL-to-UL switching time of one symbol). Then, to accommodate for thethree symbols without PUSCH transmission over the four slots, the actualrepetitions can continue in slots after the four slots until the PUSCHtransmission is over an additional 12 symbols and over a total number ofN_(PUSCH)=44 symbols. Therefore, based on an indication of N_(nominal)nominal repetitions with starting symbol S and length L, a UE candetermine a total number of N_(PUSCH) symbols for repetitions of thePUSCH transmissions as described in Equation (1), below.

N _(PUSCH) =L·N _(nominal)  (1)

In certain embodiments, a UE (such as the UE 116) can determine theN_(PUSCH) symbols for repetitions of the PUSCH transmissions and performa minimum number of actual repetitions of the PUSCH transmission thatachieve transmission over N_(PUSCH) symbols starting from symbol S in afirst slot.

As a gNB (such as the BS 102) may not have full control of the number ofslots where the UE transmits the PUSCH, the gNB can configure by higherlayers the UE behavior. For example, the gNB can configure by higherlayers the UE behavior for whether the UE determines an actual number ofrepetitions to be only in the four slots as in the example above orgenerally in a number of slots, n, indicated by the DCI formatscheduling the PUSCH transmission or the UE determines an actual numberof repetitions to include additional slots so that the number of symbolsfor the indicated nominal repetitions is achieved. The number of slots ncan be equal to the number of repetitions, or to the number of slots fora PUSCH transmission with Type A repetitions. Alternatively, the gNB canindicate the UE behavior by a 1-bit field in the DCI format schedulingthe PUSCH transmission. It is possible that the 1-bit field signaling isused to indicate whether more than one additional slot respect to thenumber of slots n indicated by the DCI format scheduling the PUSCHtransmission can be used to transmit symbols for repetitions of thePUSCH transmissions. For example, the gNB can configure by higher layersthat the UE can determine an actual number of repetitions to includeadditional slots and can indicate by a 1-bit field in the DCI formatscheduling the PUSCH transmission whether a single slot or multipleslots can be used. Alternatively, the numbers of additional slots can beconfigured by higher layers, and the 1-bit signaling indicates which ofthe configured numbers of slots can be used to transmit symbols forrepetitions of the PUSCH transmissions. Also, the gNB can configure byhigher layers a default value for the numbers of additional slots thatthe UE can use to transmit symbols for repetitions of the PUSCHtransmissions. The default value can be larger or equal to zero.

It is also possible that whether the UE can use additional slots,including the number of additional slots, with respect to the number ofslots indicated by the DCI format scheduling the PUSCH transmission fortransmission of a PUSCH with nominal repetitions depends on the CElevel. For example, if four CE levels exist, the gNB can configure byhigher layers that the UE can use additional slots only for the highestCE level and the gNB can also configure a number of additional slots. Asingle value for all CE levels or a value for each CE level of theadditional number of slots can be configured. Same principles can applyto repetitions of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)transmission.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example method 1100 for determining repetitionsfor a PUSCH transmission according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. For example, the steps of the method 1100 can be performedby any of the UEs 111-116 of FIG. 1 , such as the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . Themethod 1100 of FIG. 11 is for illustration only and other embodimentscan be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 11 , the method 1100 describes an exemplaryprocedure for a UE to determine repetitions for a PUSCH transmission. Instep 1102, a gNB, such as the BS 102, indicates by a DCI format a set ofsymbols of an UL-DL TDD configuration to be flexible (reserved) symbolsor DL symbols, and indicates a number of slots for a PUSCH transmission.In step 1104, the UE, such as the UE 116, receives an indication todetermine an actual number of repetitions to include additional slots sothat the number of symbols for the indicated nominal repetitions isachieved. Alternatively, UE can determine additional slots by default.In step 1106, the UE determines a number of slots required for thetransmission of PUSCH with the indicated nominal repetitions. In step11008, the UE determines a number of slots for PUSCH transmission basedon the required slots for transmission with the indicated nominalrepetitions and on any further constraint in number of slots that can beused for PUSCH transmission.

An example of a further constraint can be the number of additional slotsallowed for PUSCH transmission with repetitions respect to the number ofslots indicated by the DCI format scheduling the PUSCH transmission. TheUE, such as the UE 116, can then transmit with the minimum number ofactual repetitions of the PUSCH transmission that achieve transmissionover N_(PUSCH)=L·N_(nominal) symbols starting from symbol S in a firstslot if the transmission is allowed in the slots required to transmitsuch N_(PUSCH) symbols.

Although FIG. 11 illustrates the method 1100, various changes may bemade to FIG. 11 . For example, while method 1100 of FIG. 11 is shown asa series of steps, various steps could overlap, occur in parallel, occurin a different order, or occur multiple times. In another example, stepsmay be omitted or replaced by other steps. For example, steps of themethod 1100 can be executed in a different order.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for determination ofnumber of repetitions for PUSCH transmission based on the number ofslots indicated by an SFI. The following examples and embodimentsdescribe determining the number of repetitions for PUSCH transmissionbased on the number of slots indicated by an SFI. An SFI-index fieldvalue in a DCI format 2_0 indicates to a UE a slot format for each slotin a number of slots N_(SFI) starting from a slot where the UE detectsthe DCI format 2_0. A UE determines a number of slots for repetitions ofa PUSCH transmission based on the total number of symbols N_(PUSCH)assuming that PUSCH transmission of actual repetitions avoids occupyingsymbols that are indicated as DL or reserved.

If the number of slots needed to complete N_(nominal) actual repetitionsis smaller than the N_(SFI) slots, the UE (such as the UE 116) transmitsN_(nominal) actual repetitions avoiding transmission in symbols that areindicated as DL or reserved by a DCI format 2_0 and completes thetransmission with all configured or indicated number of transmissions.If the number of slots needed to complete N_(nominal) actual repetitionsis larger than the N_(SFI) slots as indicated by a first DCI format 2_0,the UE (such as the UE 116) transmits with the number of repetitionsthat can be completed in N_(SFI) slots.

It is also possible that the UE transmits the PUSCH transmission withthe N_(nominal) repetitions and occupies a number of slots larger thanthe number of N_(SFI) slots indicated by a first DCI format 2_0. The UEreceives another DCI format 2_0 which indicates a slot format for slotssubsequent to the slots whose format is indicated by the first DCIformat 2_0, and UE transmits PUSCH symbols in symbols available for ULtransmission as indicated by the second DCI format 2_0. A gNB (such asthe BS 102) can configure by higher layers the UE behavior for whetherthe UE determines an actual number of repetitions to be only in N_(SFI)slots indicated by a first DCI format 2_0 or UE determines an actualnumber of repetitions and transmits them.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example method 1200 for determining the number ofrepetitions for PUSCH transmission according to embodiments of thepresent disclosure. For example, the steps of the method 1200 can beperformed by any of the UEs 111-116 of FIG. 1 , such as the UE 116 ofFIG. 3 . The method 1200 of FIG. 12 is for illustration only and otherembodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 12 , the method 1200 describes an exemplaryprocedure for the UE 116 to determine the number of repetitions forPUSCH transmission based on the number of slots N_(SFI) that anSFI-index field value in a DCI format 2_0 indicates to a UE a slotformat for each slot.

In step 1202, a UE is provided an UL-DL TDD configuration over a numberof slots, wherein a slot includes flexible symbols, by higher layers,for example by the parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon, oradditionally by the parameter tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated. In step1204, the UE is configured for transmission of PUSCH with repetitionsand is scheduled by a DCI format to transmit PUSCH over multiple slots.In step 1206, the UE monitors a DCI format 2_0. An SFI-index field valuein a DCI format 2_0 is used to indicate to the UE a slot format for eachslot in a number of slots N_(SFI) starting from a slot where the UEdetects the DCI format 2_0. In step 1208, the UE transmits the PUSCHwith repetitions avoiding symbols indicated as flexible or DL overN_(SFI) slots.

Although FIG. 12 illustrates the method 1200, various changes may bemade to FIG. 12 . For example, while method 1200 of FIG. 12 is shown asa series of steps, various steps could overlap, occur in parallel, occurin a different order, or occur multiple times. In another example, stepsmay be omitted or replaced by other steps. For example, steps of themethod 1100 can be executed in a different order.

FIG. 13 illustrates an example method 1300 for transmitting PUSCHtransmission according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Forexample, the steps of the method 1300 can be performed by any of the UEs111-116 of FIG. 1 , such as the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . The method 1300 ofFIG. 13 is for illustration only and other embodiments can be usedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 13 , the method 1300 describes an exemplaryprocedure for a UE, such as the UE 116, to transmits PUSCH transmissionwith repetitions over a number of slots whose format is indicated bymore than SFI-index field value in a DCI format 2_0. In this case thenumber of slots needed to complete the PUSCH transmission withrepetitions is larger than the number of slots over which an SFI-indexfield value in a DCI format 2_0 has validity.

In step 1302, a UE (such as the UE 116) is provided an UL-DL TDDconfiguration over a number of slots, wherein a slot includes flexiblesymbols, by higher layers, for example by the parametertdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon, or additionally by the parametertdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated. In step 1304, the UE is configured fortransmission of PUSCH with repetitions. The UE can also be scheduled bya DCI format to transmit PUSCH over multiple slots. In step 1306, the UEmonitors a DCI format 2_0. An SFI-index field value in a DCI format 2_0indicates to a UE a slot format for each slot in a number of slotsN_(SFI) starting from a slot where the UE detects the DCI format 2_0. Instep 1308, the UE transmits a number of PUSCH repetitions avoidingcertain symbols. The avoided symbols can be indicated as flexible for DLover N_(SFI). For example, the UE transmits a number of PUSCHrepetitions smaller than N_(nominal) repetitions avoiding symbolsindicated as flexible or DL over N_(SFI) slots (of step 1306). In step1310, the UE monitors a DCI format 2_0, wherein an SFI-index field valuein a DCI format 2_0 indicates to a UE a slot format for each slot in anumber of slots N_(SFI) starting from a slot where the UE detects theDCI format 2_0. In step 1312, the UE transmits more PUSCH repetitionsavoiding symbols indicated as flexible or DL over N_(SFI) slots (of step1310). It is noted that steps 1310 and 1312 are repeated if not allN_(nominal) repetitions have been transmitted.

Although the method 1300 of FIG. 13 is shown as a series of steps,various steps could overlap, occur in parallel, occur in a differentorder, or occur multiple times. In another example, steps may be omittedor replaced by other steps. For example, steps of the method 1300 can beexecuted in a different order.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for frequency hopping. Thefollowing examples and embodiments describe frequency hopping. When anumber of symbols N_(PUSCH)=L·N_(nominal) is used to determine a lengthof a PUSCH transmission with repetitions, as described above, a PUSCHtransmission can be scheduled in symbols that have been indicated by anUL-DL TDD configuration provided by higher layers as UL symbols orflexible symbols and needs to avoid DL symbols or flexible (reserved)symbols that are indicated by a DCI format providing a slot structure.Each repetition of a number of L symbols can span more than one slot andthe symbols may not be adjacent.

A UE, such as the UE 116, can be configured for frequency hopping of aPUSCH transmission with repetitions by a higher layer parameter or bythe DCI format, if any, scheduling the PUSCH transmission. The UE canthen apply frequency hopping between (actual) repetitions of the PUSCHtransmission. The frequency hopping can apply per N_(FH) repetitionswhere N_(FH) can be predetermined in the system operation or provided byhigher layers. A frequency offset between two frequency hops, with thestarting hop being associated to the scheduled resource of the initialtransmission can be defined. Alternatively, an intra-slot frequencyhopping offset can be defined per number of PUSCH symbols. For example,the number of symbols can be predefined in the system operation, such asa number of symbols corresponding to a number of nominal repetitions orcan be configured by higher layers.

The indication of which TDRA table to use can be indicated in a field ina SIB. For example, a field in a SIB that contains radio resourceconfiguration information that is common for all UEs.

A default PUSCH time domain resource allocation A for normal CP isdescribed in Table 3, below.

TABLE 3 PUSCH Row index mapping type K₂ S L CE level 1 Type A j 0 14 0 2Type A j 0 12 0 3 Type A j 0 10 0 4 Type B j 2 10 0 5 Type B j 4 10 0 6Type B j 4 8 0 7 Type B j 4 6 0 8 Type A j + 1 0 14 1 9 Type A j + 1 012 1 10 Type A j + 1 0 10 1 11 Type A j + 2 0 14 1 12 Type A j + 2 0 121 13 Type A j + 2 0 10 1 14 Type B j 8 6 0 15 Type A j + 3 0 14 1 16Type A j + 3 0 10 1

A default PUSCH time domain resource allocation A for extended CP isdescribed in Table 4, below.

TABLE 4 PUSCH mapping Row index type K₂ S L CE level 1 Type A j 0 8 0 2Type A j 0 12 0 3 Type A j 0 10 0 4 Type B j 2 10 1 5 Type B j 4 4 1 6Type B j 4 8 1 7 Type B j 4 6 1 8 Type A j + 1 0 8 1 9 Type A j + 1 0 121 10 Type A j + 1 0 10 1 11 Type A j + 2 0 6 1 12 Type A j + 2 0 12 1 13Type A j + 2 0 10 1 14 Type B j 8 4 1 15 Type A j + 3 0 8 1 16 Type Aj + 3 0 10 1

A default PUSCH time domain resource allocation A for extended CP isdescribed in TABLE 5, below.

TABLE 5 PUSCH mapping Row index type K₂ S L CE level 1 Type A j 0 8 0 2Type A j 0 12 0 3 Type A j 0 10 0 4 Type B j 2 10 1 5 Type B j 4 4 2 6Type B j 4 8 2 7 Type B j 4 6 2 8 Type A j + 1 0 8 0 9 Type A j + 1 0 120 10 Type A j + 1 0 10 0 11 Type A j + 2 0 6 0 12 Type A j + 2 0 12 0 13Type A j + 2 0 10 0 14 Type B j 8 4 3 15 Type A j + 3 0 8 0 16 Type Aj + 3 0 10 0

A default PUSCH time domain resource allocation A for normal CP for CElevel l, is described in TABLE 6, below.

TABLE 6 PUSCH mapping Row index type K₂ S L 1 Type A j 0 14 2 Type A j 012 3 Type A j 0 10 4 Type B j 2 10 5 Type B j 4 10 6 Type B j 4 8 7 TypeB j 4 6 8 Type A j + 1 0 14 9 Type A j + 1 0 12 10 Type A j + 1 0 10 11Type A j + 2 0 14 12 Type A j + 2 0 12 13 Type A j + 2 0 10 14 Type B j8 6 15 Type A j + 3 0 14 16 Type A j + 3 0 10

A default PUSCH time domain resource allocation A for extended CP isdescribed in TABLE 7, below.

TABLE 7 PUSCH mapping Number of Row index type K₂ S L slots 1 Type A j 08 1 2 Type A j 0 12 1 3 Type A j 0 10 1 4 Type B j 2 10 2 5 Type B j 4 44 6 Type B j 4 8 4 7 Type B j 4 6 4 8 Type A j + 1 0 8 1 9 Type A j + 10 12 1 10 Type A j + 1 0 10 1 11 Type A j + 2 0 6 1 12 Type A j + 2 0 121 13 Type A j + 2 0 10 1 14 Type B j 8 4 8 15 Type A j + 3 0 8 1 16 TypeA j + 3 0 10 1

It is noted that the TDRA tables of 16 entries above can be extended toinclude additional combinations of PUSCH mapping type, K2, S and Lparameters.

Different TDRA tables for Msg3 PUSCH transmission can be defined to beused by a UE depending on whether the UE initiates the random accessbefore RRC_CONNECTED state or in RRC_CONNECTED state. For example, for aUE not in a connected mode, the signaling to indicate the tables can bethe same as described above. For a UE in a connected mode, theindication of which TDRA table to use can be indicated in a field in theIE PUSCH-Config which is used to configure the UE specific PUSCHparameters applicable to a particular BWP. For instance, as illustratedin Syntax (2) below, a field Msg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocationTable canindicate a TDRA table, and a field Msg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocation canindicate a combination of PUSCH mapping type, slot offset, start symboland length from the TDRA table.

Syntax (2) -- ASN1START -- TAG-PUSCH-CONFIGCOMMON-START PUSCH-Config::=  SEQUENCE {   . . .   Msg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocationTable  INTEGER(1...maxNrofUL- AllocationTables   OPTIONAL, -- Need R  Msg3-PUSCH-TimeDomainAllocation     INTEGER (1...maxNrofUL-Allocations)   OPTIONAL, -- Need R . . . } -- TAG-PUSCH-CONFIG-STOP --ASN1STOP

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide for reception of PDSCHafter transmission of Msg3 PUSCH. The following examples and embodimentsdescribe receiving PDSCH after transmission of Msg3 PUSCH. In responseto a Msg3 PUSCH transmission scheduled by a RAR UL grant when a UE hasnot been provided a C-RNTI, the UE attempts to detect a DCI format. TheDCI format can be a DCI format 1_0 with CRC scrambled by a correspondingTC-RNTI scheduling a PDSCH reception that includes a UE contentionresolution identity (such as described in TS 38.321 v.16.0.0). There isa minimum time between the transmission of the first repetition of aMsg3 PUSCH transmission in a first valid slot, and the time when the UEattempts to detect a DCI format, such as a DCI format 1_0, with CRCscrambled by a corresponding TC-RNTI scheduling a PDSCH reception thatincludes a UE contention resolution identity (such as described in TS38.321 v.16.0.0). This minimum time duration of N₁ symbols correspondsto a minimum number of transmitted Msg3 repetitions. This minimum numberof Msg3 repetitions can be configured and can be smaller than the numberof repetitions indicated to the UE. A UE can receive a PDCCH with a DCIformat scheduling a PDSCH reception before the UE transmits allconfigured/indicated repetitions of a Msg3 PUSCH transmission.

FIG. 14 illustrates an example timing diagram 1400 according toembodiments of the present disclosure. The example timing diagram 1400of FIG. 14 is for illustration only and other embodiments can be usedwithout departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 14 , a UE, such as the UE 116, starts a transmissionof a first repetition of Msg3 PUSCH at symbol S 1420 of a first slot1410, and repeats the transmission over four slots. A minimum timebetween the transmission of the first repetition of a Msg3 PUSCHtransmission in a first slot, and the time when the UE attempts todetect a DCI format scheduling a PDSCH reception, is defined. The timewhen the UE attempts to detect such DCI can occur after all repetitionsof Msg3 PUSCH are transmitted. After the transmission of the last PUSCHsymbol of the last repetition in the last slot, and after at least anumber of additional symbol to allow for DL-to-UL switching time, suchas 1 symbol, a UE can attempt to detect a DCI scheduling a PDSCH. Thistime interval can be associated with a CE level which corresponds to anumber of Msg3 PUSCH repetitions 1430. A shorter time interval can beassociated with a lower CE level 1440. It is also possible that a UE iscapable of attempting to detect the DCI format while transmittingrepetitions of Msg3 PUSCH transmission 1450 as a gNB can detect a TBprior to all scheduled repetitions of a Msg3 PUSCH transmission and canthen schedule a PDSCH reception. Upon detection of a DCI formatscheduling a PDSCH reception, the UE 116 suspends transmission ofremaining repetitions of a Msg3 PUSCH.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example method 1500 for monitoring a DCI formatscheduling a PDSCH repletion according to embodiments of the presentdisclosure. For example, the steps of the method 1500 can be performedby any of the UEs 111-116 of FIG. 1 , such as the UE 116 of FIG. 3 . Themethod 1500 of FIG. 15 is for illustration only and other embodimentscan be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 15 , the method 1500 describes an exemplaryprocedure for a UE to start monitoring a DCI format scheduling a PDSCHreception. In step 1502, a UE transmits a Msg3 PUSCH with repetitionsover a number of slots. In step 1504, the gNB (such as the BS 102)detects a TB prior to reception of all scheduled repetitions of the Msg3PUSCH transmission and schedules a PDSCH. In step 1506, the UE startsmonitoring a DCI format for scheduling a PDSCH at an indicated minimumtime interval from a start of the first Msg3 PUSCH repetition. In step1508, the UE detects the DCI format scheduling the PDSCH reception andsuspends the transmission of remaining repetitions of the Msg3 PUSCH.

Although FIG. 15 illustrates example methods, various changes may bemade to FIG. 15 . For example, while the method 1500 is shown as aseries of steps, various steps could overlap, occur in parallel, occurin a different order, or occur multiple times. In another example, stepsmay be omitted or replaced by other steps.

Although the figures illustrate different examples of user equipment,various changes may be made to the figures. For example, the userequipment can include any number of each component in any suitablearrangement. In general, the figures do not limit the scope of thisdisclosure to any particular configuration(s). Moreover, while figuresillustrate operational environments in which various user equipmentfeatures disclosed in this patent document can be used, these featurescan be used in any other suitable system.

Although the present disclosure has been described with exemplaryembodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to oneskilled in the art. It is intended that the present disclosure encompasssuch changes and modifications as fall within the scope of the appendedclaims. None of the description in this application should be read asimplying that any particular element, step, or function is an essentialelement that must be included in the claims scope. The scope of patentedsubject matter is defined by the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communicationsystem, the UE comprising: a transceiver configured to: receive, from abase station (BS), common information including first information on anumber of repetitions for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for amessage 3 (Msg 3) via a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, whereina plurality of candidate values of the number of repetitions for thePUSCH for the Msg 3 is configured based on the first information, andreceive, from the BS, a random access response (RAR) message includingan uplink (UL) grant that schedules the PUSCH for the Msg 3; and aprocessor operably coupled with the transceiver, the processorconfigured to identify the number of repetitions for the PUSCH for theMsg 3 based on a field in the UL grant of RAR message, wherein a valueof the field indicates one of the plurality of candidate values, whereinthe transceiver is further configured to transmit, to the BS, the PUSCHincluding the Msg 3 based on the number of repetitions identified basedon the value of the field.
 2. The UE of claim 1, wherein: a number ofthe plurality of candidate values is four, and the value of the field inthe UL grant of the RAR message comprises 2 bits.
 3. The UE of claim 1,wherein: the transceiver is further configured to receive, from the BS,a time division duplex (TDD) UL-downlink (DL) configuration, and theprocessor is further configured to determine multiple slots for thePUSCH transmission with the number of repetitions based on the TDD UL-DLconfiguration.
 4. The UE of claim 1, wherein: the transceiver is furtherconfigured to receive, from the BS, second information configuring atleast one UL bandwidth part (BWP), the processor is further configuredto select an UL BWP configured for Msg 3 PUSCH repetitions among the atleast one UL BWP, and the PUSCH including the Msg 3 is transmitted onthe selected UL BWP.
 5. The UE of claim 1, wherein: the processor isfurther configured to identify whether to repeatedly transmit the PUSCHincluding the Msg 3 based on a comparison between a reference signalreceived power (RSRP) value and a threshold, and in case that the RSRPvalue is less than the threshold, the PUSCH including the Msg 3 istransmitted repeatedly on the selected UL BWP.
 6. The UE of claim 1,wherein the processor is further configured to: identify a PUSCHrepetition type; and determine multiple slots for the PUSCH transmissionbased on the PUSCH repetition type.
 7. The UE of claim 6, wherein: theprocessor is further configured to identify that a frequency hopping isconfigured for the PUSCH, and the frequency hopping is applied to thePUSCH transmission on the multiple slots.
 8. A base station in awireless communication system, the base station comprising: atransceiver configured to: transmit, to a user equipment (UE), commoninformation including first information on a number of repetitions for aphysical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for a message 3 (Msg 3) via aradio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein a plurality of candidatevalues of the number of repetitions for the PUSCH for the Msg 3 isconfigured based on the first information, transmit, to the UE, a randomaccess response (RAR) message including an uplink (UL) grant thatschedules the PUSCH for the Msg 3, wherein a value of a field in the ULgrant of the RAR message indicates one of the plurality of candidatevalues, and receive, from the UE, the PUSCH including the Msg 3, whereinthe PUSCH including the Msg 3 is received based on the number ofrepetitions indicated based on the value of the field.
 9. The basestation of claim 8, wherein: a number of the plurality of candidatevalues is four, and the value of the field in the UL grant of the RARmessage comprises 2 bits.
 10. The base station of claim 8, wherein: thetransceiver is further configured to transmit, to the UE, a timedivision duplex (TDD) UL-downlink (DL) configuration, and the TDD UL-DLconfiguration indicates multiple slots for the PUSCH transmission withthe number of repetitions.
 11. The base station of claim 8, wherein: thetransceiver is further configured to transmit, to the UE, secondinformation configuring at least one UL bandwidth part (BWP), and thePUSCH including the Msg 3 is received on an UL BWP configured for Msg 3PUSCH repetitions among the at least one UL BWP.
 12. The base station ofclaim 8, wherein: whether the PUSCH including the Msg 3 is repeatedlyreceived is based on a comparison between a reference signal receivedpower (RSRP) value and a threshold, and in case that the RSRP value isless than the threshold, the PUSCH including the Msg 3 is receivedrepeatedly on the selected UL BWP.
 13. The base station of claim 8,further comprising a processor operably coupled to the transceiver andconfigured to: identify a PUSCH reception type; and determine multipleslots for the PUSCH reception based on the PUSCH repetition type. 14.The base station of claim 13, wherein: the processor is furtherconfigured to identifying that a frequency hopping is configured for thePUSCH, and the frequency hopping is applied to the PUSCH reception onthe multiple slots.
 15. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in awireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving, from abase station (BS), common information including first information on anumber of repetitions for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for amessage 3 (Msg 3) via a radio resource control (RRC) signaling, whereina plurality of candidate values of the number of repetitions for thePUSCH for the Msg 3 is configured based on the first information;receiving, from the BS, a random access response (RAR) message includingan uplink (UL) grant that schedules the PUSCH for the Msg 3; identifyingthe number of repetitions for the PUSCH for the Msg 3 based on a fieldin the UL grant of RAR message, wherein a value of the field indicatesone of the plurality of candidate values; and transmitting, to the BS,the PUSCH including the Msg 3 based on the number of repetitionsidentified based on the value of the field.
 16. The method of claim 15,wherein: a number of the plurality of candidate values is four, and thevalue of the field in the UL grant of the RAR message comprises 2 bits.17. The method of claim 15, further comprising: receiving, from the BS,a time division duplex (TDD) UL-downlink (DL) configuration; anddetermining multiple slots for the PUSCH transmission with the number ofrepetitions based on the TDD UL-DL configuration.
 18. The method ofclaim 15, further comprising: receiving, from the BS, second informationconfiguring at least one UL bandwidth part (BWP); and selecting an ULBWP configured for Msg 3 PUSCH repetitions among the at least one ULBWP, wherein the PUSCH including the Msg 3 is transmitted on theselected UL BWP.
 19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:identifying whether to repeatedly transmit the PUSCH including the Msg 3based on a comparison between a reference signal received power (RSRP)value and a threshold, wherein in case that the RSRP value is less thanthe threshold, the PUSCH including the Msg 3 is repeatedly transmittedto the BS.
 20. The method of claim 15, further comprising: identifying aPUSCH repetition type; determining multiple slots for the PUSCHtransmission based on the PUSCH repetition type; and identifying that afrequency hopping is configured for the PUSCH, wherein the frequencyhopping is applied to the PUSCH transmission on the multiple slots.